Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jarvis Out Week-To-Week
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that two key players are out week-to-week with respective upper-body injuries: Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis.
The announcement of Jarvis’ injury does not come as any great surprise. His injury occurred on Friday and it was immediately clear that he would miss at least some time as a result of what happened. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters immediately after the game that Jarvis was “going to be out for a while.” He was placed on IR the following day, and today the Hurricanes confirmed that he’ll be out on a week-to-week basis.
The more surprising development is the injury to Slavin. Slavin missed two months due to a lower-body injury, and the Hurricanes only activated him on Dec. 14, which was about a week ago. The Hurricanes appeared to be easing Slavin into his return to game action as he played 14:31 time on ice in his first game on Dec. 14, 16:47 in his second game on Dec. 17, and 18:36 on Dec. 19, with all three numbers coming well below his traditional usage level as the team’s top defenseman.
Slavin was held out of the second game of the Hurricanes’ set of back-to-back games on Dec. 20, but at the time, his absence did not raise any eyebrows, as it was attributed to being part of his recovery process. It’s not abnormal for a player who only recently returned from a two-month injury absence to be rested for the second half of a back-to-back.
But the fact that Slavin is now slated to miss time on a week-to-week basis with a new upper-body injury throws into question whether the player suffered this injury during any of his three NHL games since returning on Dec. 14. Per The Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander, Brind’Amour said today that he assumes Slavin suffered the injury as a result of a hit from Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer, one that came during the team’s Dec. 19 contest in Sunrise.
Regardless of when exactly he became injured, the reality is the Hurricanes are now once again without their most reliable and important defenseman. Slavin is widely considered to be one of the game’s best shutdown defensemen. Despite offensive production that is relatively pedestrian in comparison to his defensive excellence, Slavin has landed on Norris Trophy ballots in every season of his 11-year career other than his first. That’s a testament to just how highly regarded Slavin is as a defensive defenseman. Slavin is also a two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner, an extraordinarily difficult task for a blueliner asked to go up against the opposing team’s top offensive weapons on a nightly basis.
As the Hurricanes continue to push for their third Metropolitan Division title since 2021, Slavin’s absence will add some additional stress to the team’s defensive plans. The Hurricanes ran a left-side defense of K’Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin, and Shayne Gostisbehere in Slavin’s absence on Saturday, and could continue to run that defense with Swedish import Joel Nystrom the most likely candidate to be recalled in the event Slavin once again lands on IR. Veteran Mike Reilly is also on the roster as the No. 7 defenseman.
Slavin is widely considered to be a lock to be selected to the United States’ roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that “the belief is this won’t impact” Slavin’s availability for that tournament.
New York Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Place J.T. Miller On IR
The New York Rangers announced today that they have recalled winger Brett Berard from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
According to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker, the Rangers placed captain J.T. Miller on IR in a corresponding move, one that created the necessary space on the Rangers’ roster to add Berard. Miller is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, one reported to be related to his right shoulder.
The move comes shortly after the Rangers were forced into playing a game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen dressed due to an unexpected absence of Gabe Perreault due to illness, as well as an injury to Matt Rempe. By recalling Berard, the Rangers have insulated themselves from further unexpected absences, and given head coach Mike Sullivan another forward option to work with as he constructs his lineup.
Berard, 23, has emerged as a top call-up option for the Rangers over the past year and a half, and appears to be on the cusp of reaching full-time NHL status. The 2020 fifth-round pick scored six goals and 10 points across 35 NHL games last season, showing some flashes of the offensive instincts that have made him a top-six forward at the AHL level. Berard scored 25 goals and 48 points as an AHL rookie in 2023-24 and 23 points in his 30 AHL games last season.
He has nine points in 19 games so far this year for Hartford, though it’s worth noting that the Wolf Pack have struggled, as a whole, to generate goals this season. Hartford’s top remaining scorer is 35-year-old AHL veteran Justin Dowling, who has 16 points in 23 games. The club ranks No. 26 in the AHL in goals scored this season, and while Berard has obviously contributed to that, the low-scoring environment has impacted his numbers.
Unfortunately for Berard, finding it harder to generate points has not been something that has been restricted to just the AHL level. He’s also scoreless through his 11 NHL games played this season across an average of 10:59 time on ice per game. Berard last played in the NHL on Dec. 15, skating 10:24 time on ice in the team’s 4-1 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
With the Rangers’ forward corps dinged by some notable absences at this point in time, there’s an opportunity available for Berard to seize at the NHL level. Seeing as he’s playing out the final year of his entry-level deal, the NHL opportunity in front of Berard afforded by today’s recall is an important one.
Islanders’ Isaiah George Out Week-To-Week
New York Islanders defenseman Isaiah George is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.
George, who is currently playing for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, needed to be helped off of the ice after he collided awkwardly with the boards while attempting a defensive zone puck retrieval. Per Isles in the Sound’s Kenny Kaminsky, George “did not leave the ice under his own power.” George had only recently returned from a separate injury, an upper-body ailment that had cost him the chance to play for most of November and early December.
While George’s injury won’t have an immediate or direct on the Islanders’ NHL defense, the news is still relevant for the Islanders’ NHL plans as George’s injury means that a top defensive call-up option will be unavailable on a week-to-week basis.
The Islanders selected George in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he quickly rose to become one of the team’s more pro-ready defensive prospects.
He entered last season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Islanders’ system by the team at Elite Prospects, and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Islanders’ pool by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January.
Wheeler called George “one of the development stories of the year in hockey” and called his rapid development “a real surprise to those who followed him closely in the OHL.” Wheeler projected George to become a “useful depth defenseman” at the NHL level, and that appears to be what he has become, although he hasn’t played at the NHL level this season.
There are multiple factors influencing why George has not played at all in the NHL in 2025-26 after getting into 33 NHL games in 2024-25. First and foremost, the addition of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer to the Islanders’ depth chart has meant Islanders’ depth blueliners have had one less lineup spot to compete for.
When Alexander Romanov is healthy, that means the Islanders can run a trio of left-handed defensemen that would be the envy of many teams across the league: Schaefer, Romanov, and veteran Adam Pelech. With Romanov out due to injury, the Islanders’ depth defensemen have been left to compete for one lineup spot, a spot next to Scott Mayfield on the team’s third pairing.
So far this season, the Islanders have elected to give older depth blueliners Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell a look in that spot, rather than George. Of course, George’s earlier injury didn’t help his odds of earning a recall. But there are also other factors to consider as well. Perhaps most significant is contract status. George has an additional season left on his entry-level deal beyond 2025-26, while Mitchell and Warren are both playing on expiring contracts.
The Islanders have a GM in Mathieu Darche that is in the midst of his first full campaign with the club. While there has been no firm reporting that this is the case, one could speculate that Darche has chosen to recall Mitchell and Warren over George in part because he’s looking to get as much information as possible about how each of those expiring defensemen fare in the NHL while he considers how to approach each player’s upcoming free agency.
If the club knows it has George under contract for another year, from a resource-management perspective, there’s an argument to be made that the Islanders are better served using those NHL games to see what they have in Mitchell and Warren before the summer.
Of course, if the Islanders believe George is a substantial upgrade in the NHL over those two players, and believe that playing George over Mitchell or Warren improves their chances of winning games, then that aforementioned perspective naturally takes a back seat. But seeing as Warren is currently in the NHL and Mitchell only recently concluded an NHL call-up, it appears unlikely that the Islanders view the situation that way.
While he was likely eyeing a chance to return to the NHL, due to today’s injury development, George will have to first recover from his injury before he can make another push to earn a spot in head coach Patrick Roy’s lineup.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Latest On Mason Marchment Extension Talks
The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired veteran winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken on Friday of last week, and he made an instant impact for the club, scoring a goal in his first game after the trade.
Given the fact that the 30-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent, as well as the fact that Columbus surrendered a second-round pick in order to acquire him, many have wondered whether the Blue Jackets will try to sign Marchment to a contract extension before the end of the season.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline directly addressed the topic today, including in a recent piece comments from both the player and Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell. Regarding the possibility of signing Marchment to an extension, Waddell told Portzline that he talked to Marchment’s agent, Paul Capizzano of Quartexx, right after the trade was completed, and the two parties agreed to table extension talks until they got to see whether Marchment is a good fit in Columbus and likes playing there.
Marchment himself appeared to agree with that approach, telling Portzline “I’m just kind of going day-by-day right now” and “I really don’t have a plan or anything like that,” while adding that his most pressing priority has been thinking about and taking care of his newborn child. It’s understandable, given those circumstances, that Marchment may not want to rush into signing a new contract.
At 30 years old, it’s likely that Marchment’s upcoming free agency is one of the most important of his career. It’s far easier for a non-star-level player who is still in his early thirties to get a big contract in free agency than it is for someone in his mid to late thirties, so Marchment has a chance this upcoming summer to make the kind of money he likely won’t be able to make the next time he’s a free agent.
Therefore, if this upcoming summer is the one where Marchment is likely to target a large contract that could take him until the twilight years of his NHL career, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to sign that kind of contract in Columbus before knowing whether he’s a great fit with that organization. It’s also an understandable approach for the Blue Jackets to take.
Although they might prefer to have traded a second-round pick for a player under contract beyond this season, the fact of the matter is retaining Marchment will likely take a solid amount of investment. It would mean committing a sum of at least $4MM AAV (he’s unlikely to accept a significant pay cut after back-to-back seasons scoring around 20 goals and 50 points in 2023-24 and 2024-25) for a player in his thirties, with some term likely attached to the deal.
Columbus could very well be interested in retaining Marchment, but it simply wouldn’t be a prudent decision to extend him so quickly after acquiring him. While the Blue Jackets likely thought through these considerations before trading for him, they don’t know for sure whether he’ll be a fit in head coach Dean Evason’s plans, nor do they know if he’ll be a fit in their overall roster-building calculus.
Keeping their options open moving forward, while trying their best to effectively integrate Marchment into their team, is the most sustainable path forward and allows both sides to gain as much useful information as possible before making a significant commitment to each other.
It’s likely to be a busy summer in Columbus, as Marchment isn’t the only significant pending free agent. Captain Boone Jenner and veteran pivot Charlie Coyle are also set to be unrestricted free agents, while starting netminder Jet Greaves is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
Morning Notes: Kulak, Chernyshov, Blue Jackets
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired veteran defenseman Brett Kulak from the Edmonton Oilers as part of the trade between the two clubs that swapped netminder Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner. While Kulak adds a level of experience to Pittsburgh’s back end that could be valuable, the club only recently ended an eight-game losing streak that raised significant questions about their ability to compete for a playoff spot this season. That losing streak raised a few questions as to whether the Penguins are best served keeping Kulak for the rest of the year (his $2.75MM AAV deal expires at the end of the season) or if they would benefit from trading him to another team.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that before Kulak was traded to Pittsburgh, “there were teams interested” in acquiring him from the Oilers, but a trade never materialized largely for salary cap reasons. Friedman cited the Penguins’ trade of Luke Schenn to the Winnipeg Jets, very shortly after acquiring him from the Nashville Predators, as a notable precedent here that the team set regarding its willingness to quickly flip a veteran blueliner. While there has not been any concrete indication that Pittsburgh is actively exploring this route with Kulak, Friedman’s reporting indicates it’s something to keep in mind at the very least.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- While the injury suffered by San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith was certainly not something the Sharks have benefited from, the opportunity provided by his absence in the lineup has at least been something other young players have so far been able to take advantage of. 2024 second-round pick Igor Chernyshov has played in the first three NHL games of his career, landing on franchise pivot Macklin Celebrini‘s wing as a result of Smith’s absence. He’s managed three assists in his first three games, playing at an impressive level for a player with no prior experience at the NHL level. That has raised questions as to whether the Sharks would benefit from keeping Chernyshov in the NHL, even after Smith returns, and per San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky admitted the team “didn’t think he was gonna be this quick to help us,” and added that Chernyshov has far exceeded expectations thus far in the NHL.
- New Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen brought one of his former longtime lieutenants, Columbus Blue Jackets assistant GM Josh Flynn, to Buffalo this week in order to fill the same role but for the Sabres. In the aftermath of that move, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline wrote today regarding which other Blue Jackets hockey operations staff might join Flynn in heading to Buffalo. Portzline specifically cited Blue Jackets director of pro scouting Basil McRae, who was formerly an assistant GM before shifting titles after the arrival of current Columbus GM Don Waddell, as a possibility. He also named director of amateur scouting Ville Sirén and goaltending coach Nicklas Backstrom as two other names who Kekäläinen might look to add to his staff in Buffalo.
Metro Notes: Helenius, Leonard, Foerster
The Buffalo Sabres will not be sending top prospect and Team Finland star Konsta Helenius to the 2026 World Championships, reports Finnish hockey outlet Kiekko Uutiset. Helenius ranked second on Finland’s World Juniors roster in scoring at last year’s tournament. His command over the top center role was a crucial piece in Finland’s run to a silver medal.
But after a fourth-place finish at age 17, and a Silver Medal win at age 18, Helenius now won’t have a chance to reach the summit this season. Instead, he’ll stick in his role as a pillar of the Rocheester Americans’ offense. Helenius leads all Americans forwards in scoring with 26 points in 27 games. It’s a breakout year after he scored 35 points in 65 games as an AHL rookie last season, and could result in Helenius receiving his NHL debut sooner rather than later. With those hopes in sight, the Sabres will choose to keep Helenius close to home, while Team Finland will have to lean on Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen to fill their top center role.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Washington Capitals forward Ryan Leonard has not played since Dec. 5 due to an upper-body injury, but he’s now considered only day-to-day and appears to be nearing a return to the lineup, per The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Leonard, 20, is one of the key young forwards on the Capitals, and has 18 points in 29 games this season. The 2023 No. 8 overall pick was playing on Washington’s third line alongside Nic Dowd and Ethen Frank for the game in which he suffered his injury.
- On Dec. 17, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward Tyson Foerster was set to miss five months after undergoing surgery, effectively ending his 2025-26 regular season. Yesterday, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz relayed word from general manager Daniel Briere regarding Foerster’s injury timeline. Briere noted that the original announcement of five months was more of a “range” than a specific timeline, noting that Foerster’s actual recovery timeline “could be a little less” or “a little more” and that the club does not know “exactly for sure” when Foerster will be able to return. That’s not out of the ordinary given that teams can’t fully predict the future in terms of how a player’s body will respond to a recovery process, but it does provide at least a little bit of room for optimism that Foerster may not miss quite as much time as has been projected. The 23-year-old 2020 first-round pick scored 10 goals and 13 points in 21 games this season.
New Jersey Devils To Activate Jack Hughes
The New Jersey Devils are expected to receive a big boost tonight, as franchise center Jack Hughes told the media today, including NHL.com’s Mike Morreale, that he expects to be in the lineup for the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
In addition, the club will see winger Timo Meier return to the lineup after a five-game absence and rookie Arseni Gritsyuk return after a four-game absence.
Hughes has not played since Nov. 15 after reportedly injuring his hand in an off-ice accident. He underwent finger surgery in the aftermath of the injury, and ended up missing 18 games. When healthy, Hughes is the Devils’ most dangerous offensive player. His 20 points in 17 games this season leads the team on a points-per-game basis, and his return should provide a massive boost to the Devils’ ability to score goals.
Despite significant injury losses, the Devils have managed to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They currently sit in the second wild-card spot, but the return of Hughes, Meier, and Gritsyuk, as well as the recent return of defenseman Brett Pesce, figures to give the team a jolt that will likely be reflected in the standings.
At the moment, it isn’t entirely clear who will slot in next to Hughes on what will undoubtedly be the Devils’ most relied-upon scoring line. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, Hughes skated with Gritsyuk on his wing in morning skate, as well as “a rotation” of veteran Stefan Noesen and Marc McLaughlin alongside them.
But seeing as not everyone was on the ice for the Devils’ optional morning skate, those practice reps should not be seen as a firm indication of where Hughes will land in head coach Sheldon Keefe’s lineup.
Hughes skated alongside Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer in his most recent game on Nov. 12, so it’s possible Keefe will elect to reassemble that line tonight. With Hughes out, Mercer has most recently slotted in as New Jersey’s first line right winger, lining up next to captain Nico Hischier and team leading scorer Jesper Bratt.
Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Jakob Pelletier
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that forward Jakob Pelletier has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Tampa recalled Pelletier on Saturday, and he served as a healthy scratch for the club’s comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old 2019 first-round pick has been stellar for the Crunch this season. He leads the team in scoring with 31 points in just 24 games, a total that also ties Laval Rocket forward Laurent Dauphin for the scoring lead across the entire AHL.
Pelletier’s recall cost the Crunch their most lethal offensive player during their two-game weekend swing through Hartford and Providence. The Crunch defeated the Wolf Pack on Friday night but fell to the Bruins on Saturday, results that kept them tied with Laval for the division lead.
While he didn’t get to play during his brief stint on the Lightning’s roster, the recall did come with a marginal financial benefit for Pelletier. He signed a three-year contract with the Lightning over the summer, one that carries a $775K NHL salary across all years. While his deal has a one-way structure in year two and year three of the deal, Pelletier is playing on a two-way contract structure this season. Pelletier’s AHL salary this season is $250K, and his guarantee is $350K.
This most recent recall slightly improved Pelletier’s chances of pushing past that guarantee in terms of total compensation by the end of the season in the event that further, more lasting recalls are in store for him down the line.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Sammy Blais
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that forward Sammy Blais has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
The move appears to be a response to an injury suffered last night by veteran forward Jake Evans. Evans left the game with an apparent lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported last night that Evans would not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for their game tonight against the Penguins, and remains under evaluation. Per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens placed Evans on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least a week.
By recalling Blais, the Canadiens have given themselves another forward to work with as they plot their response to Evans’ injury. The recent trade acquisition of veteran pivot Phillip Danault will certainly help the team absorb any Evans injury, though it is not clear at this time if Danault will be able to play in Pittsburgh.
Evans is currently slotted in as Montreal’s third-line center, playing in between Josh Anderson and Alexandre Texier. That figures to be where Danault will eventually slot in, but if he’s not able to play tonight, the Canadiens could shuffle their lines a little bit to make room for Blais since he is not a natural center.
The Canadiens have two natural pivots on their fourth line, veteran Joe Veleno and rookie Owen Beck. The Canadiens could move Beck to center for tonight’s game, put Blais on the wing in Beck’s spot, and then elevate Veleno to Evans’ position in the event Danault can’t play tonight.
Looking at this move from Blais’ perspective, this recall is his first chance to play for the Canadiens in the regular season. He signed a one-year, league-minimum one-way deal with Montreal over the summer, but didn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of training camp. He was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and ended up scoring three points in eight games there before landing on waivers once again.
The Canadiens claimed Blais and, as the only team to do so, were able to send him down to the AHL, where he has remained until today.
Blais won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season and has a notable amount of championship experience. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 as a member of the St. Louis Blues and scored some important goals for Canada at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, winning a gold medal with his country. More recently, Blais scored nine points in nine games in the AHL for the Rocket en route to today’s recall.
Buffalo Sabres Hire Marc Bergevin, Josh Flynn
9:00 a.m.: The Sabres have now officially announced both additions. Flynn’s departure was also confirmed by Columbus, who in an official statement thanked Flynn for his service to the organization.
Kekäläinen issued a statement of his own regarding the additions, saying:
Both Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective, and I am excited to welcome them to the Buffalo Sabres organization. Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff.
Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator at the highest level. He will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization. Josh’s strength lies within salary cap management, analytics, contract negotiations, and scouting. Having worked alongside him in Columbus for many years, I know that his attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help enhance how we support our broader organization.
8:05 a.m.: Things appear to be moving quickly in Buffalo. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported Sunday morning that the Sabres are hiring Flynn from the Blue Jackets. Flynn had been with Columbus since 2008, serving as assistant GM since 2019.
8:00 a.m.: The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly hiring Los Angeles Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin to the role of associate general manager.
The move has not yet been officially announced. It was originally reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, whose reporting was corroborated by The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Sabres are in the middle of a significant amount of turnover at key leadership positions in their hockey operations department. GM Kevyn Adams was replaced in his position by former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen.
In his first major move as GM, Kekäläinen fired associate GM Jason Karmanos, who also served as GM of the club’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Today’s reporting makes it clear that Kekäläinen has already found the person who will replace Karmanos in that role.
In Bergevin, the Sabres have found another executive with a significant amount of high-level hockey operations leadership experience. Like Kekäläinen, Bergevin has significant previous experience as a GM in the NHL, serving as GM of the Montreal Canadiens for nearly a decade, from 2012 to 2021. Before his time in Montreal, Bergevin served in numerous roles with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning a Stanley Cup as director of player personnel in 2010.
Sabres owner Terry Pegula came under significant fire for the process of how he hired Adams, picking someone to serve as GM of the struggling Sabres who had no significant prior hockey operations experience.
The hire of Bergevin further underscores what appears to be a commitment from Pegula to going in the opposite direction with his next hires. The addition of Bergevin as one of the top lieutenants of Kekäläinen’s front office gives Buffalo a deeply experienced pairing of executives at the top of the organization.
Bergevin’s nearly decade-long run as Canadiens GM made him one of the league’s more recognizable executives, and his legacy in Montreal is still debated. In some respects, his tenure was an undeniably successful one. The Canadiens instantly rebounded from a poor 2011-12 campaign to win the Northeast Division in his first season there.
Montreal reached the playoffs in four of his first five seasons as GM, even making a run to the Eastern Conference Final before an injury to star netminder Carey Price cost them a chance at seriously challenging the New York Rangers for the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Bergevin’s Canadiens struggled in the latter period of the 2010s, but ultimately returned to the playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 Canadiens went on a dramatic run to the Stanley Cup Final, winning the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl before losing the Stanley Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the Canadiens’ first trip to the Final since their victory in 1993.
Montreal fired Bergevin early in the following season as the Canadiens endured one of the worst starts to a season in franchise history. Bergevin was credited in Montreal with acting boldly and creatively to try to solve his team’s problems, an approach perhaps no better illustrated by his attempt to offer sheet Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho, or his franchise-altering trade of star defenseman P.K. Subban for future Hall of Famer Shea Weber.
Bergevin made numerous transactions that paid significant dividends for the Canadiens, and one could make the argument that he “won” far more trades than he “lost.” His tenure was littered with savvy moves, such as when he acquired future captain Nick Suzuki (among other assets) in a trade for Max Pacioretty, acquired Phillip Danault and the pick that became Alexander Romanov for two rental wingers in Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise; or when in January 2020, he traded a fourth-round pick for Marco Scandella, only to flip Scandella a few months later and receive a second-round pick (and a fourth-rounder) in return.
But with those big moves, many of which worked out for Montreal, also come a few high-profile mistakes. His major free agent signing of Karl Alzner was nothing short of a disaster, and his move to trade Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin did not age well.
Bergevin also came under fire later in his tenure as GM for reportedly failing to “modernize” the Canadiens’ hockey operations department. The team reportedly lagged behind its peers in terms of the modernization, as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported in 2022 that the Canadiens did not have an in-house analytics department or at the time employ a dedicated skills coach.
From the Sabres’ perspective, the positives and negatives of Bergevin’s Canadiens tenure aren’t hugely relevant. What matters most is what Bergevin will be able to bring to Buffalo in his capacity as associate GM, and the key thing he’ll offer Kekäläinen is an immense amount of high-level hockey operations decision-making experience.
Kekäläinen’s work is far from over, as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported yesterday that the Sabres requested permission from Columbus to speak with assistant GM Josh Flynn, someone Kekäläinen worked closely with during his days running the Blue Jackets. According to LeBrun, permission was granted.
Flynn’s background is specifically within hockey administration, and in Columbus, Flynn is responsible for leading “salary cap management” and “contract negotiation,” according to his listing on the team website.
After firing Karmanos, the Sabres have two remaining assistant GMs on the staff who are holdovers from the Adams regime: Jerry Forton, who oversees amateur scouting, and Mark Jakubowski, who per Fairburn “mostly handles contracts.” It remains to be seen if Kekäläinen’s plans for his front office involve any other departures, or only just additions such as Bergevin’s.
There is no clarity at this time as to what major responsibilities Bergevin will hold in the Sabres front office. Karmanos’ significant responsibility was building and managing the AHL’s Americans, and it’s unclear whether Bergevin will directly take on that role.
Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports